


Sunny California

by reed_ashlyn_e



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016), Psych
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-30
Updated: 2017-07-29
Packaged: 2018-12-08 16:34:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 14,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11650485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reed_ashlyn_e/pseuds/reed_ashlyn_e





	1. Chapter 1

This story is dedicated to my best friend Rhiannon. 

Dear Rhi, 

Here we are again, making ourselves the characters and writing the angstiest things we can. Here we are when I get into the zone and forget to answer texts. Here we are when I begin to make the playlist of songs you've more than likely never heard. And here we are when I go crazy with my plot and it begins to make no sense. 

Thank you for sticking with me, you're my best friend and the one person I tell everything to. You're my rock and every day I wonder what life would be like if we hadn't met a year ago doing the play. That damned Jitterbug song. We've done a lot together, especially on the Wattpad. We've done some crazy stuff too, but there's no one else I would do this with. We have marked the beginning of a journey and I'm hoping this adventure lasts a lifetime. Through JackGyver, random ships, and other fandoms, we've got each other. And I think that's pretty great. You're my best friend and I thank you. But more importantly, I love you bestie. 

Love,  
Moose


	2. 1

1

Cody Burke rubbed her eyes, the files that littered the floor were making no sense. The man or woman behind these murders chose everyone at random, and this time it was very random. The Santa Barbara police department didn't see any connections-which they couldn't have, so they handed the case down to the girl who works in the basement. But at least Lassiter had come down every now and then to ask her about her progress, sometimes she had leads but they were all dead ends. She decided that she needed a change of scenery and took the files home with permission. She drove to her house near the woods and went to her office there. She sat down at the big antique desk and rummaged through the files, looking for anything remotely new in this light. She opened her windows and got a cup of coffee. She made a mental note to clean all of the other mugs that were around the house. 

Cody put the coffee on the counter and got out of her dress pants and blazer, replacing it with a pair of pajama pants and a hoodie from college. She pulled her hair back the best she could seeing as how short it was and made her coffee to her liking. She sighed loudly looking around the massive house, she had inherited it and had no one to share it with. She sat back down in the office and set up her whiteboard. She moved the traveling ladder to the corner behind the desk and began to write little notes about the victims and things like that. Her phone buzzed on the desk and she looked at the caller ID, Lassiter. She quickly picked it up, "Hello?" "Hey Burke, just wondering how things are going. Anything on this case?" "No sir, I'm sorry. I'm still working though." "Don't be sorry, this guy is good. I'm sending over some help, they should be there within 20 minutes. I'll talk to you later." "Thank you, bye." 

She hung up and put her phone back on the desk. She sighed loudly again and went around the house picking up the mugs and shoes and case files. She put them all in the office and put on some more coffee for her guests. She was going to offer cookies but didn't have any, so she shrugged and went back to her office. She continued working and even made a new breakthrough. All of the victims had bought the same candles from the same booth at the local market. She didn't think it was important but she wrote it down on the board. She heard tires coming up the driveway and looked out to see a blue car parking. She looked out of her window and saw two men get out of the car, dancing to some song that was obviously turned up too loud. She laughed at them and recognized who they were. Her smile quickly faded when she realized why they were there. Lassiter had lost faith in her, he didn't think she could do it on her own. 

She rubbed her temples and came to the conclusion that her contacts were starting to give her a headache. She walked to her bathroom and put on her glasses, she opened the door and watched them. "Are you two finished or what?" She called out. They both stopped abruptly and looked at the door. "Oh sorry about that. Are you Cody Burke?" The darker one said buttoning up his jacket. "Yes sir, and you are?" "My name is Shawn Spencer, this is my partner, Burton Guster." The white one said stepping forward and putting his hand out. She shook it and nodded, then she shook Gus'. "Would you guys like some coffee?" She asked gesturing for them to come inside. They entered and found themselves on her couch. 

"Yes please, do you have caramel creamer?" Shawn asked hugging a pillow to his chest. "Yes sir." She said pouring the mugs and adding the creamer and handing the mugs to the men. "So you're supposed to help me?" "Yes. Lassie said you are having trouble with this case?" "Yes. And the files are in my office, don't mind the mess." They nodded and went to the office. She watched as Shawn skimmed and went through all of the files and picked them apart. After a while Shawn made a noise that sounded like a hiccup. "Gus, I need to talk to you privately." Cody took that as a cue and went to her kitchen. 

Shawn pulled Gus unreasonably close, "I think we need to call Interpol. Something big is going to happen." "Shawn are you sure?" "Yes very. Now tell hot pants Burke to call Lassie." "Shawn! We can't just say that it might be terrorism." "I'm not just saying it! This is legit." Gus started pacing back and forth while Shawn explained what he had to back up his hunch. After he understood he told Cody to call Lassie and sooner than later Juliet, Lassiter, and Chief Vick were there. "Okay Spencer, what is it?" "I think it's terrorism." "Wait what?" They all said collectively. "Yes I do. Okay do you guys remember hearing about that shoot out in the woods somewhere? Those secret agents said it looked like the military. I think these are the same guys with the same guns. But they are trying to stay low by eliminating the small threats. We need to stop them now." Cody got out her phone while all the other detectives were talking. 

"Who are you calling Burke?" "My cousin, I think he can help." She said dialing his number. 

Angus MacGyver finally had some downtime so he and Jack Dalton were at his house watching television and working on his motorcycle. Mac's phone kept ringing and it was bothering Jack, Mac on the other hand couldn't hear it. "Mac your damn phone keeps ringing and it's driving me nuts!" "Answer it then." He said not moving. Jack picked it up and he was confused. "It says that "The Best Cousin In The World" is calling. You still want me to answer it?" "Yeah and then bring it to me." Jack nodded and answered the phone with a "Hello?" "Hi, is this Jack?" "Yes and what do you want?" "I really need to speak with Mac. And you. And Riley. And Matty." She said while Jack put the phone on speaker and also got on the floor with Mac. 

"Yo Cody what's up?" "I think I have a case that has a few terrorists involved. Ones that actually shot at you. And Sarah. And Nikki. And Jack." "You mean those sons of bitches from the woods?" "Those would be the ones. And they are here, in Santa Barbara. We need your help." "We can be there within the day. Can we stay with you? Like me, Jack, Boze, Riley, and Matty?" "Oh yeah. You know how big this place is." "Well then we are packing and we will be there soon. And when did you change your name in my phone?" "Like 5-ever ago. Deal wit it." She said trying to sound like a gangster. "Okay. I'm over it. I love you." "Love you too Mac. I'll be waiting for you guys." She hung up and Mac got out from under the bike. "Go get a bag packed. We are going to sunny Santa Barbara." Jack nodded while Mac made the phone calls to their team. 

"Guys, we are going to get the best help possible. Like better than Interpol." She said smiling while they all looked confused. "Now we just wait."


	3. 2

2 

The next day when Cody was getting dressed and putting on her makeup, her doorbell rang. She walked out to the foyer to see her cousin and his posse standing at the door. She smiled and ran to open the door. "Mac!" She said excitedly throwing her arms around him. He stumbled back and laughed, hugging her back. She ushered them all inside and asked if they were sharing beds or not. "Riley and Bozer are. Jack and I can. And Matty gets her own." Cody nodded and showed them around. "Miss Webber, would you like to be upstairs or downstairs?" "It's your home. Well how about you go in that room there?" She pointed to the room across from Mac and Jack's. "Did you purposefully put the stairs there?" She asked laughing. "Oh shit. No ma'am, those were stairs for the dog when my aunt lived here. I'm so sorry." Cody felt bad and they were all laughing. "No, I'll need them. Thank you very much." She took her bag into the room and she started to unpack. 

"Mac and Jack, you're in the usual room." Mac nodded and pulled Jack to the room. "Riley, nice to meet you." She shook her hand and went to Bozer. "Girl give me a hug." They hugged it out and she showed them to their room at the bottom of the stairs. They thanked her and after about 30 minutes they all came upstairs to talk and get something to drink. "So you're Cody? The cousin?" Matty said coming out first and gratefully taking the water from her. "Yes ma'am. I work for the Santa Barbara police department. Surely you got my case file." "Yes I did. And I have to say that you have a good eye." "Thank you." "So where did you go to school?" "She went to the one, the only TEXAS A&M!" Jack said doing a dance. "Yeah, that's where I went." She laughed while sipping her coffee. Jack came up to her and gave her a fist bump while taking a drink of her coffee. "Do you have any food?" "Somewhere probably. I have been completely focused on this case. I haven't gone go the store in a while. Sorry guys, I'll go tonight." She said writing it on her hand. "Boy howdy I found donuts." He said getting the bag out. "Help yourself. You guys make a list of what you want today and I'll go get it tonight." She walked to Mac's room and made sure he was ready to go, then Riley and Bozer. After ten minutes they were on their way to the police department. 

When they went in they signed in and met Lassiter, Juliet, Vick, and there was an FBI agent. "Burke, come meet Agent Fiche." She stepped forward and shook her hand, "Lyla Fiche, FBI field agent. I was assigned to this case a while back and then the trail went cold. Now here I am, with you, and we are going to get this bastard." She said shaking hands with the Phoenix agents. They all had quick introductions and Jack was eyeing Lyla up and down. Mac elbowed him and Cody stifled a laugh, but quickly stopped when Lassiter cleared his throat. "We are all going to be working on this together." Fiche said gesturing around. "And I already have an idea on how we could get this guy out. And it involves Cody." Mac stepped forward with his arm out. "She's not bait, not doing that. No thanks. We can come up with something better." "Okay then that is officially plan b." Fiche said using a two finger gesture to get them all into a conference room. 

They all stepped in and sat down with a case file. "Now let's get down to business. Wait, where are Shawn Spencer and Burton Guster?" Cody smiled a little when she saw them coming in with three coffees and a box of pastries. They walked into the room and put the pastries down. Shawn handed one of the cups to Cody and said "Good morning, you adorable coffee vampire." It made her blush a deep red and they sat down with their coffees also. She sipped on it and found herself giddy at the fact that it had caramel creamer in it. They went over the case file and they were put into teams to come up with ideas on a sting. "Shawn, Gus, Cody, and Matty. Bozer, Riley, Jack, and Mac. Me, Lassiter, Juliet, and Vick. Meet back here tomorrow with ideas, let's go people." Fiche said. They all nodded and got to work. Mac and Jack walked up to Cody and pulled her aside. "Don't try to play hero. If you come across this guy, call me. Got it?" Mac said, she nodded and Jack leaned forward. "You're carrying, right?" "Yes sir." "Then go make a plan and make us proud." She gave him a fist bump and then took her team to the grocery store. She got everyone's items and figured that they could conspire while shopping at least. 

Shawn insisted on sitting in the front seat with her while Matty and Gus were conversing in the back. Mac and Jack took Riley and Bozer back to Cody's house where they all drank her coffee and came up with their ideas, sharing them and then fixing them. Lassiter and his team all stayed at the station and worked, Fiche making sure they stayed on task. While Cody and her team were at the store she got a bad feeling. "Matty? Are you packing?" "No. I don't usually carry unless necessary. Why?" "The same SUV has circled the store five times. I think it might be our friends." "Okay, keep an eye out. If they make a move then you take them down. Got it?" "Yes ma'am." They kept walking while Shawn was inspecting the pineapples to make sure Cody only got the best one. Shawn and Gus were finally back at their side, she was secretly grateful. 

They took a turn down the frozen food aisle and that's when she heard the gun. She pushed Shawn and Gus to the floor, grabbing her gun immediately. She got to the front of the aisle and looked around. Then a round of heavy artillery rang out in the store. The glass all around her shattered but she wasn't hit. She shot towards the source and was lucky enough to actually hit the guy. She ran over and saw that he was dead. She used her radio to call it in and walked back to Shawn and Gus and Matty. "Guys? Are you okay?" Shawn stood up and was wiping glass off and checking her over, "Yeah we are fine. What about you?" "I'm fine. I think I hit my hip on the fruit stand though. It kind of hurts. But I'll get over it." Shawn looked down at her hip and gasped while he threw his hand over it. "Oh my god, Cody. You were shot?!" "What? When?" She said looking down and seeing that her hip was gushing blood and her pants were soaked with blood. "I seriously didn't know that I was shot." She lost a little balance and stumbled. Shawn wrapped his other arm around her middle and let her rest her weight on him. 

"I told you not to play hero!" Mac said crunching on the glass and striding towards her. "Mister MacGyver please don't scold her. She saved our lives. She stood next to a blitz of that big gun." She was starting to get pale, but she was still trying to act strong. "Hey guys, she needs medical attention." "No, I'm good." Her words were slurring and she was obviously in pain. She was putting all of her weight on Shawn, not that he minded. Mac and Jack immediately scooped her up and got her to an ambulance. Meanwhile Matty, Fiche, and Lassiter were looking at the deceased and his weapon. "Okay, AR-15, you can get these anywhere. And the serial is probably off." "We can get one. Don't worry." Fiche and Matty were going back and forth, but Lassiter was quiet. "What's on your mind?" "He knows they were here. So either they were followed or they have her bugged. She was on to them, and now we all are. 

We need to be careful." "Yeah he's right. They probably have eyes on us now." Matty agreed. In the ambulance Mac was rocking his cousin back and forth, the paramedics were trying to stop the bleeding. Shawn was calming a panicking Gus and the other part of the team was attempting to get to them. Soon the ambulance took off to the hospital and Mac and Jack rode with them. They quickly patched her up and gave her the blood transfusion she needed. She was resting with Mac holding her hand and Jack was making sure she was breathing. Shawn and Gus had shown up later, bringing her flowers. Jack had dragged Mac away to get coffee so Shawn and Gus could sit with her.   
They walked downstairs and Mac still had blood on his shirt and jacket so Jack gave him his top shirt. Mac threw away the button up and wiped off the jacket. "I know she's your favorite cousin-" "She is my only cousin and she's like my sister." "Yeah I know. But she'll make it. I mean she is related to you." Jack nudged him and Mac laughed. "When we were little we were wrestling. I accidentally got her in the windpipe and instead of freaking out, she got me in the sub clavicular nerve ending." "Wow. How old were you guys? 15?" "8." Jack laughed and watched Mac remember old times.


	4. 3

3

Shawn paced back and forth in the room, her breathing was stable, her heart was stable, dammit everything was stable. But her eyes weren't open and her mouth wasn't moving, and that bothered him. Gus finally made him stop by clapping his hands down on his shoulders. "Shawn, she is going to be fine. She's completely stable and they had her under heavy sedation. Will you sit down already?" Shawn huffed and sat down, twiddling with his thumbs. "Ya know, all those times I watched her from afar? The coffees, the lunches, the hints on her cases, I never told her who they were from. I just left them usually on her desk with a post-it that had a heart on it. Fairly certain she threw those away." Shawn felt a couple tears welling up because he thought this was his fault. He thought that her getting shot protecting him was his fault. His hand snaked across the little portion of the bed and landed next to hers. He had a burst of faith and cradled her hand gently in his, hoping that her hands were warm enough to warm up his. 

"Shawn are you hungry? Thirsty?" "Yeah a little." Gus didn't like the fact that Shawn wasn't making quips and movie references. "Smoothie?" "Sure." Gus nodded and walked out of the door, now he had to find the cafeteria. The beeps were drowning out everything else. Shawn kept getting closer to the bed, he would've much rather preferred to lay next to her, hold her, and try to heal her. There was a knock on the door and Shawn mumbled "Come in" before the door opened. He wasn't expecting Fiche to walk in, but she walked over to the bed and sighed. "People like her don't deserve to get hurt. She was just protecting you," Lyla sniffled and wiped at her eye. Fiche took off her FBI issued wind breaker and revealed the tank top she had on underneath. She also had an intricate tattoo that sprawled across her shoulders, "I like your tattoo." Shawn said quietly. "Thanks, it goes all the way down my spine." "That's cool." She sat down on the other side of the bed. 

"She's stable right?" "Yeah." "Do they know when she'll wake up?" "Nope." "How long have you guys been together?" "We aren't together. But I hopelessly fell in love with her from afar." "Oh, that's adorable." "No, it's torture." Fiche laughed and ran a hand through her hair. "Do you know how she got this scar on her arm over here?" "No, I didn't know she had one." "It's looks like a massive cut that healed." "Well I don't know." Fiche's phone rang and she had to go. "I'll come back later, just hold on okay? And tell Gus I send my love." He nodded and said goodbye to her. "Wake up, please." Shawn pleaded, his voice cracked and he closed his eyes. "Just wake up and come back to me." Gus came in with the smoothie and he felt the sad vibes that Shawn sent off. He handed him the smoothie and he took a sip, then he sat it on the side table. "Shawn, do you love her?" "I don't know, I mean, maybe. But I don't know Gus." Shawn's attention was cut short when they both heard a gasp, Cody sat up a little and gripped his hand. "Cody, you're awake." Shawn said moving the hair from her face. 

"Are you okay?" "Yeah, I'm thirsty, and where's Mac?" "Here take a drink of this. And he's downstairs with that burly friend of his. How do you feel?" "I don't know." She said sipping the smoothie. She sat it back on the table and Gus went to get the doctor. "Shawn, I heard every word you said." His breath caught in his throat, and he tried to retract his hand from hers. "I didn't throw the hearts away. I keep them in a box in my desk, and I knew it was you leaving the things. I got shot for you," she laughed lightly and he leaned a little closer. "You got shot for me." Then he kissed her and she smiled into the kiss. "And I don't know if I love you either, but I want to see where this goes." "Yeah I do too." He said kissing her again, but they parted when the doctor came in. She took another drink of the smoothie while the doctor talked to her. 

Mac came running through the door almost knocking down everything in his path. He landed next to Cody and pulled her into a bone crushing hug. "I told you no to play hero and try to save everyone. What were you thinking?" "I wasn't. I was just doing my job and I had to protect them." He put his head in her neck and tried to calm down, Jack eventually pulled him away and the doctor left. Cody texted Fiche, Vick, Lassiter, and Juliet to tell them she was awake. Shawn and Gus left for a minute to some food and Cody pulled Mac closer to her. "I think Shawn and I are a thing? I don't know. We kissed and I heard him talking and I don't know." "Seriously?" "Yeah. Like I don't know." "Jack, get over here." Mac said and Jack got into the group, he tried to look interested. "I think that you should be happy with him. And not like the douchebag from last time. What was his name? Brad? Brat? Britt?" "It was Brett, and I'm avoiding that from here on out." "Then you should be okay, but you gotta be happy." She nodded and he kissed her head like he always did when she was in a tough spot. 

Shawn eventually came back with a sandwich and her own smoothie and they sat around doing nothing until she was discharged. Shawn wheeled her to the car and she and Gus were talking about new medications his company was making while Mac and Jack were texting her to make sure she was okay. Cody suddenly mentally slapped herself in the face, "Dammit I forgot to actually get groceries." "Let's go get them now." Shawn said and they drove towards yet another grocery store.


	5. 4

4

Mac and Jack drove to her house and unpacked the rest of their things. Mac walked into the library and looked at the things that lined the shelves. Most of the books were random ones she had found, a section was set aside for the ones she had signed, but there were a few in the corner that caught Mac's eye. He picked one of the worn books up and opened to the cover, an inscription on the inside. 

Dearest Cody,  
      You are my favorite niece, not just because you're my only niece either. You're becoming such a beautiful young lady and this book is one of my favorites. I want you to read it, and every time you do, I want you to think of your favorite aunt.   
       Love,   
Auntie Ellen, and Cousin Mac 

The Cousin Mac part was in chicken scratch and Mac knew that was his signature from when he was little. He went through all of the older books and read all of the inscriptions. He ran his fingers over the press that the ink made and felt tears start to well up. He didn't know that Jack was standing at the door, he tried not to cry but sometimes he missed his mom so much. He felt his chest burst and his shoulders shake and he tried to stand up and quickly walk outside but Jack stopped him. "Hey, c'mere baby boy." Jack scooped Mac in his arms and pulled him close. Mac let out muffled sobs while his hands gripped Jack's arms. Jack ran his hands through Mac's hair. "Hey baby boy, I'm right here." "Jack please don't leave me." He sobbed out trying not to sob too loud, "Oh you know I'd never do that. You're stuck with me." Jack continued playing with his hair and rocking them back and forth. Jack's dad used to give him and his siblings a kiss on the head every morning, every night, and whenever he damn near felt like it. And he conditioned Mac that way.

He cradled the blonde's body against his chest, one hand on the back of his head and the other was rubbing up and down his spine. Jack never liked seeing his best friend like this, but some days it happened, and those days were hard. But they got through them, and they got on to the next day. Jack kissed Mac's head and made sure he was okay. He wiped the stray tears and they went for a walk outside. The breeze made Mac a little chilly and he had forgotten his jacket but Jack went into Papa mode again and gave his jacket to Mac. "Thanks." He said zipping it up. "You're welcome. You feelin better?" "Yeah." "Okay, good." They kept walking. 

When Shawn, Gus, and Cody had pulled into the store parking lot they realized she wasn't going to be walking. "I would give you a piggy back but I don't think you'd like that." "And you're kind of right. Just get me one of those child cart thingys." "Won't people stare?" "I don't give a flying frick if they stare." "Truth." Gus interjected. She got cozy in the cart and they began to shop. They got random snack goods, coffee, creamer, breakfast items, lunch things, and dinner ingredients. She was going to make them dinner and all the meals while they were staying at her house so she got plenty of food. She got painkillers and Gatorade and water for the house and they finally checked out. The two guys put all of the stuff in the car, including her, and drove to her house. When Shawn helped her limp inside she saw someone asleep on the couch. Then she saw it was two people, Mac and Jack.   
Jack was awake, just letting Mac rest with his head on his chest trying to sleep off worry. She told the other two to be quiet and they put away groceries for her. "I'm making soup tonight, do you guys want to stay?" Shawn nodded and she smiled, she felt almost relieved he said yes. 

She called the others to see where they were, and asked when they would be back. She invited the SBPD team but they kindly rejected and the other Phoenix members gladly said they'd be home soon. She began making the soup and singing along to her headphones. She usually played the music out loud but was being cordial to her cousin. She cut up the boiled chicken and vegetables and was letting it simmer, she wanted to check on Mac. He was awake now and he was sitting on the couch, Jack was gone and Gus was outside on the phone. She wondered where Shawn was, but it went to the back of her mind.

She sat down next to her cousin and he looked at her leg, not her face. "Mac, what's up?" "You never looked like either of your parents." "Yeah I know." "You look just like mom." "Is that why you're upset?" He only nodded, he didn't want to cry again. She put her arms around him and he put his head on her shoulder, "I know we only have each other but I need you now more than ever. My city is under attack, I was shot, and I have a boyfriend all within three weeks. And when you need me, you got me. But for now you need to get your head on straight. For me, please?" He nodded and took in a shaky breath. "Come help me in the kitchen," she pulled him towards the kitchen and he had to make the garlic bread. They were giggling and talking about old memories, but she gasped when Shawn came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her hips. Mac heard it and spun around quickly with a knife in his hand, ready to attack. 

"For fucks sake, Shawn. You scared me." She calmed her breathing and went back to making dinner. He kissed her cheek and she told him to get bowls and spoons. Soon Jack came up and Shawn felt a chill run down his spine. Cody looked at Shawn, then Jack. "Jack Dalton. Did you do what I think you did?" "Of course I did." "You're a piece of work." "Obviously." He laughed and kissed her head and helped Shawn. Soon Matty, Bozer, and Riley were home and they all checked on her. Bozer had freaked out and literally ran into the kitchen to make sure she was okay. He crushed her in a hug that she happily returned, "I'm so glad you're okay." He said checking her over for any other injuries. Matty hugged her and they all sat down. Gus finally came back in and they all got their meals. The soup and bread was good and they all forgot about their day for the time being. 

At least Cody tried to forget, until the searing pain made her groan. Shawn panicked and grabbed her pain meds and she took them quickly. Everyone got quiet and her fingers were interlocked with Shawn's. After dinner it was late and they all showered in the two bathrooms and went to their bedrooms. "Shawn, Gus, you guys are more than welcome to stay. Gus, you could take the couch, or I've got a cot that-" "The couch is wonderful, thank you." She smiled and told him where the blankets were. Shawn was confused, did he get the couch? "Where am I sleeping?" "With me, in my huge bed. My huge and cozy bed." She said giggling. He nodded and she showed him where it was. She went to wash up the best she could for the time being and laid down, he laid down beside her. His arms snaked themselves around her waist and he pulled her close to his body. She turned around facing him and put her head on his chest. "Goodnight Shawn," she said quietly. "Goodnight Cody." He said leaving a lingering kiss on her head.


	6. 5

5

She woke up swiftly the next morning and when she was engulfed in warm arms she smiled. She was able to reach out to her phone and she snapped a picture. The shutter went off and she assumed that he didn't hear it, but he did, "Cody Cute-Ass Burke. How cute is that picture?" "Very." She laughed inwardly and he snuggled a little closer, this time he used her chest as a pillow. "Shawn I have to get up." "Nope." "Get off. Or I will put my cold feet on you." "Nope. I'll take the feet." She took a leap of faith and kissed him wholeheartedly. "Are you awake yet?" She asked quietly, now she was face to face with him and rubbing her thumb on his scruff. "Yeah I guess." He laughed again and kissed her lips. She would never admit it, but she was scared of kissing him. She was afraid of disappointing him, but to him she could never disappoint. 

She slipped out of his grasp and went to the restroom. She got done in there and slipped on a hoodie and went to the kitchen. She started a pot of coffee and got things out for breakfast. She had the pans heating up and she got the plates out of the dishwasher, she set the things on the table and set out mugs. She put juice and butter in the middle. She started to fry the bacon and that's when people started waking up. Gus was up first, he offered to help and she said he was on toast duty. Then it was Mac, he was still a little down but he was okay. Jack and Bozer came into the kitchen at the same time talking about bacon, and then Matty came in. She sat down next to Mac and they were talking. Riley trudged up the stairs and looked very tired, but all in all she was awake. Shawn still wasn't up, but Cody didn't expect much else. 

"Hey Jack I need your help." Cody said gesturing to her bandage on her leg. "Yeah, let me get that stuff." He turned the corner and went to her bathroom and checked on Shawn. He wasn't sleeping, but he was making the bed and picking up the mess in the room. Jack nodded and kept walking. He got the bandages, the tape, and her pain meds. He quickly changed it and cleaned all around it and she swallowed her pills. She made the rest of breakfast which was eggs and she cut up some oranges and apples. She sat it all down and they all ate, it was rather quiet. Cody was a little uneasy because Shawn still wasn't awake, she got up and limped to her room just to see him sitting on the window sill. 

"What's on your mind?" She asked coming up behind him. He didn't turn around, "Just wondering how I got here. I went from hopelessly watching you day after day. Up and down the stairs to get coffee and files. And now here I am waking up in your room, holding you. Knowing that you're mine. It's just off putting." She laughed and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Maybe it's a dream come true." She said kissing his cheek. He turned around and hopped off the window sill. He hugged her and she laid her head against his shoulder with his head resting on top of his. Riley was standing at the door and she took a picture of them, she thought it was adorable and went back the table before they noticed. 

"Breakfast is ready." "Good, I'm starving." They went to the table and both got plates before settling in and eating. She didn't notice Shawn's finger tracing her bandage and how he was focused on her wound. After they ate they all went to get ready and Matty helped Cody get all of the dishes. There were no leftovers and that made Cody feel better. "How are you this morning?" Matty asked making conversation. "My leg is tight, and hurts, but I'll get over it." She laughed lightly and closed the dishwasher. "I'm sorry that I couldn't help you. I should've had my gun." "Hey don't feel guilty. Like Mac said, I shouldn't have played hero." "I think you make a wonderful hero." "Thank you." Matty smiled and went towards her room to get dressed. Shawn came up to Cody, "Gus and I have to go get dressed at our homes. We will see you at the station." She nodded and he kissed her cheek. 

They left and she went to get ready. When everyone was good to go, they headed towards the station. Fiche was already there with Vick and Lassiter talking details. When Cody went in they all three got up, Fiche shook her hand and said that she saved lives. Cody thanked her and Vick hugged her lightly, "You okay?" "Yeah I'm good, thank you." Then Lassiter came up and gave her a bone crushing hug. "Oh my god, Burke. You really scared me. I'm glad you're okay." "Yeah I am too. Thank you." He finally let go and everyone was confused. "Why do you like her so much?" Gus asked out loud, for everyone. "She's my god daughter. Her father was my best friend at the academy." Mac was puzzled, his uncle was never a police officer. "Uncle George wasn't a police officer." Mac whispered. "No, he ended up switching careers after the academy. Went into accounting." Mac nodded and Cody was leaning on Lassiter. 

Fiche interrupted them, "I hate to disturb this reunion, but we have an ID on who this guy is working for." Everyone was attentive and she pulled up the file. Cody hadn't quite gotten there yet and was just listening, "His name is Brett. Brett Robbins. Graduated to be a history professor, ended up in the terrorism business." Cody's ears began to ring, Mac lost his breath, Bozer's threat went dry, and Jack felt his knees shake. "Cody? Cody! Where are you?" Bozer called out to see her in the hallway. Her eyes were huge and glossy and her skin was flushed. Bozer had her sit down and she was hyperventilating. "Boze. It's him. I-I-" "And guess what? Me, Mac, and Jack are sticking by what we said. He's not getting anywhere near you." Mac found the bench and got on his knees in front of her, Jack was on his heels and sat down on the other side of her. She looked at Mac and he held onto her hands. "He won't get a single thing from you, not this time. I promise." Jack said kissing her head. 

Lassiter and Shawn, along with Fiche right behind them looked at them. "Is there something we should know about this guy?" Fiche asked cocking her head to the side. "He's a fucking psychopath. And if you need to know anything about him, I can tell you everything." Lassiter suddenly put the pieces together. "This is that son of a bitch from a couple years ago?" Cody nodded and kept her eyes fixated on Mac. "You've got the FBI behind you, and we are going to make sure he pays for what he did." Fiche said patting Cody's shoulder.


	7. 6

6

Cody didn't know what to do, her heart was racing and her head was pounding. But she had a job to do, she needed to protect her city, especially from this man. Shawn and Mac went with her down to her office and there was a note taped to the chair. Mac saw it first and opened it up very carefully. Inside was a couple of sentences. 

SoHvaD jI'IQ. 'ach wItI'nISmo'. 'ej wej poHlIj Ha' porghvetlh. qamuSHa', honey. 'ej SoHvaD vIneH wItI'nISmo

Mac was confused as hell and Shawn had no idea. She took a minute to read it and when she finally remembered that it was Klingon. "I've missed you. But I'm back. And you're not getting away this time. I love you, honey. And I want you back." She sucked in her cheeks and looked at Mac. "I'm going to die." She said suppressing sad laughter. "No you're not. You literally have the FBI, the SBPD, and Phoenix behind you. We are going to protect you, and you shouldn't think like that." Mac said putting the note down and walking to her. He put his hands on the sides of her face and looked at distraught face. "You are going to make it." He said pulling her into a hug. "Hey Shawn, can you get Jack down here?" Mac said quietly and Shawn ran upstairs. Fiche was standing there listening to the story that Jack was telling and everyone else was too. Shawn pulled Jack aside and said he was needed down stairs. Bozer followed too, he wanted to comfort her. 

The SBPD team went into the conference room and all sat down. "Shawn. What the hell is going on?" Vick said crossing her arms. "Why don't we start with Lassie being my girlfriend's god father?" He said with a hint of sass. "Not the focus. And since when were you two a thing?" Lassiter said leaning forward and fixing his gaze on Shawn. Gus helped out and said "Since like yesterday. Unrequited love, longing, angst. That thing." Shawn's dad laughed from the back of the room. "Whatever dad." Shawn said throwing his hands up. Juliet came in with Fiche and they were discussing the situation. "So Shawn, you and Cody are like a thing now?" "Jules, not now please. We kind of have a domestic terrorism problem." She nodded and went on listening. 

"Now look, I don't know much about this guy, but what I do know is that he beat the ever living shit out of Cody. I mean she was in the hospital for three weeks. He shot at her, took a piece of glass and went down her arm with it, pulled out huge chunks of her hair, and broke her left arm and many ribs. She had some major internal bleeding and she was out for a long time. Mac and Jack stayed at the hospital when they could, but the other guy, Bozer he was there all the time. It was hell for all of them." Riley said explaining what all Bozer had told her. "What ever happened to the son of a bitch?" Lassiter said gritting his teeth. "Jack beat this guy to a bloody pulp, they were taking him to prison when he escaped. They figured it was an inside man, he would've had to have had someone in his pocket." Shawn kept quiet, but he was thinking about what he would do when he saw this guy. Matty wanted to speak this time, "Look, I know this hits home. And I know what happens when cases hit home. But how bad is this guy?" They pulled up his wrap sheet and it showed all of the things they had warrants for. "Okay, we have to get this guy." Shawn's dad said. 

While everyone upstairs was talking about how bad they needed to get this guy in maximum security, Jack was trying to get Cody to calm down. She was panicking and thinking of all the ways he could take her, kill her, and make sure no one knew. Finally Jack got a good grip on her and held her against his chest. She broke into loud and echoing sobs against him and fell to her knees. "Jack, he's going to hurt me again." "No he isn't. He won't touch you. He won't get anywhere near you, he won't even hear your voice. And I'm promising that." Bozer was sitting in her chair, he felt helpless but there wasn't much he could do right now. Mac on the other hand was coming up with ways to watch, ways to trap, and ways to make sure that Brett Robbins couldn't get anywhere near Cody Burke. 

After she stopped crying and was sitting curled up to Jack she came up with an idea. "I need brown hair dye, scissors, colored contacts, and a burner phone." She told them all, and they all agreed. They went back upstairs and showed everyone else the note and she translated the fictional language. Lassiter sighed and stood up, he walked over to her and gave her a hug. "You've gotten through this before, you'll get through it again. And I would offer to come and stay with you, but you have a house full." She nodded and thanked him, he always had her back. She sat down and they threw questions at her like wildfire. She clutched Mac and Shawn's hands and answered in detail. 

"Where did you guys meet?" "High school. I was a freshman, he was a senior. We were on the academic team and we were very close. We were never officially dating until I went to college." "What kind of things set you off about him?" "He would come home and there would be blood on his shoes and he didn't know where it came from. Super late nights. Never called. Spaced out. And then he would get rude, mean, and irrational." "Besides the hitting, what did he do?" "He would make me sleep on the couch or the floor and would lay in bed and talk about how bad I was. And then he would try to have makeup sex, and then he would restart the cycle again." She took in shaky breaths, "You are doing so good." Shawn told her rubbing his thumb across her knuckles. "What did he try to control?" "Everything." "When did he start hitting you?" "Freshman heat of high school. He would shove, hit, sometimes kick, but only when it wasn't obvious. Sometimes I couldn't tell if it was a hickey or a bruise." Bozer shook his head and Juliet was disgusted.   
"If we don't get him in jail, I will personally kill him," Mac said with anger seeping out of his pores.


	8. 7

7

When the questions were done they all got to work, calling other field agents and getting more resources. They were all in fear for Cody's life, she couldn't get hurt again. She was working upstairs in the conference room when she remembered something, she had left her phone down in her office. She got up and hobbled the best she could down there. She almost screamed when she saw another note on her chair. 

pop around, jIHvaD legh. waH ghotvam'e', wutlh Daghaj. vo' vImughta' HItlhej pagh, wa'maH wa' Hegh Hoch rep. 'ej ghewmey vay' Quj. SoHvaD chaw'a'. qep Daq. kisses.

He wanted her, and if she didn't, then he was going to kill the ones she loved. He told her to meet him at their place, and she knew exactly where that was. It was the Santa Barbara Pier, that was their favorite place. She grabbed her purse and went back upstairs. "Guys I'm going to run by my house. I'll be back in a little while." They all nodded and Mac stood up. She hugged him super tight and forced herself not to cry, then she hugged Jack and Bozer. She hugged Lassiter, Juliet, Vick, and Gus. They were all confused and Shawn walked out to her car. "Shawn, I'm doing something for the greater good. Don't come and look for me. I'll find my way out." "Cody, what the hell are you talking about?" "This might be goodbye. And I want you to move on, and don't be sad if something happens to me." "Cody!" "Shawn! I'm making sure that all of you live longer." She got in the car and was glad she used her right foot and leg to drive. 

Shawn started to hit the windows but she ignored it and drove to the pier. When Cody got out of the car she walked along the pier and looked at the sides and benches. She saw a red hoodie and walked towards it, she knew it was him. She could feel the bad vibes and all the memories coming back. "Brett?" She whispered and he turned around. "Cody? Baby, you actually came. I missed you so much." He put his arms around her and she didn't want to hug back but she knew he would get mad if she didn't. He went to kiss her and she wanted to pull away, but she also wanted to live. "You've lost weight," he said after leaving a sloppy and hard kiss on her mouth. She forced a fake smile, "Yeah I wanted to look better for you." She ran her hand on the side of his face. She felt gross, but she knew she had to. "Baby I've missed you so much." He whispered into her ear. "I've missed you too." He gripped her arm a little too tight and began to pull her towards a car. 

She walked next to him and he shoved her into the passenger seat. He ran to the drivers side and quickly got in and started the car. He began to drive towards the deserted areas of Santa Barbara and his hand gripped her thigh tightly. They pulled up to a nicer house for the area and walked in, Brett was greeted by a girl. She was average height and had her headphones in, but she was listening to something loud. Brett pushed her through the house and threw Cody into a bed. "I missed your smile and smell, but god, what I missed most was the sex." He climbed on top of her and tried to get a hard on but it wasn't happening. "DO SOMETHING!" He yelled at her, she knew there was nothing she could do, but she had to try. She tried to help him, but it wasn't getting up. Cody knew what was next, and she braced herself. He started hitting, swinging, kicking, yelling, and throwing things. She could feel every blow and could feel things wanting to break. 

She wished and prayed that he wouldn't go as far as last time, but her prayers didn't work and her wishes were lost. He shattered the mirror in the room and tried to come at her with a piece of glass. The girl out in the hallway, Megan, heard the commotion. She paused her music and called 911, the dispatcher was hasty and she made sure to patch it through. Fiche got the call, and she was wondering why Cody had left but figured that she had a reason. She decided to leave the team and go on her own. Back at the house the yelling kept going and the glass shard was used to slice open the scar again, Cody screamed out in pain and tried to fight back, but he was stronger. He used the glass to mutilate her and she couldn't stop from crying, the pain in her thighs and lower abdomen was searing. She knew that Shawn definitely wouldn't want her after that. 

She heard the door bust down and started crying even harder when she saw Lyla. "Fiche!" She yelled as Brett turned to look at her. He tried to charge at her and Fiche took the shot. "Why didn't you tell me where you were going?" She asked trying to help Cody up and dressed. She called in an ambulance and looked down at Brett's dead body. "Good lord there is a lot of blood." Fiche said wrapping the sheet around Cody, hoping to cover her. The ambulance pulled up and so did Mac and Jack. Mac almost fell out of the car running towards the house, and Jack was scared out of his mind. Fiche came out of the house with a limping and bleeding Cody, and Jack fell to his knees. Mac ran right into her and picked her up, he was sobbing and gripping her waist. "Mac. Focus. We need to get her to an ambulance." He nodded and tried to wipe his eyes but smeared the blood across his cheek. 

They got her into the ambulance and Mac sat with her when they drove off. Jack was standing up and Fiche was trying to get her jacket clean. "Jack, do you have anything in your car?" "Yeah hold on Lyla. How'd you know she was out here?" "911 call. From the girl inside." "Oh wow. Someone else was here?" "Yeah. Thanks for the shirt." She tied off the t shirt he handed her and Jack looked like he was contemplating something. "Thank you, Lyla. I don't know what I'd do without her. Thank you for getter no out here, thank you for saving her. Can I hug you?" "Uh...yeah. Sure. Bring it on big guy." She laughed and they hugged it out. "Thank you." He said again. "Let's go check on her. I think she needs you." 


	9. 8

8

"I fucking hate the hospital," Cody groaned rubbing at the bandage that ran down her arm. Mac laughed and smoothed her hair over, "You've gotta stop doing this. You're scaring the ever living shit out of me." He whispered with tears in his eyes. She put her hand on top of the one resting on the bed and tried to motion for a hug. He leaned down and hugged her as gently as he could, "You're like my sister, you aren't allowed to leave." He said fighting back tears. She laughed and made sure that he knew she wasn't going anywhere. Suddenly Shawn came barreling through the door, tears were leaving streaks down his face. "Cody!" He said making a beeline for the bed. He got to the other side of her and looked her up and down. "Oh my god, Cody. This-I-why?" "I had to. To save you, and Mac, and Jack. And everybody else." "Where all did he hurt you?" Shawn's tears were fresh now. 

"He cut my arm open again, and he just kept hitting, and kicking, and I need a minute alone with Shawn please." Mac nodded and kissed her cheek before walking out. Shawn sat down on the bed, smoothing her hair and stroking her cheek. "What's up?" He said trying to wipe away his tears. "He cut and sliced up my lady area. And I totally get it if you don't want to be with me now. I mean, the doctor said it's fully functional but it has to heal. And after it heals there will be radical tissue damage and scarring. And I know how bad it'll loo-" "Cody Burke. If you really think that a shredded vagina is a reason I'd leave you, then you must be psychotic. We've only been together for like two days, but guess what? We've been through quite a fucking bit. And I wouldn't trade you for the world. You're stuck with me." He said kissing her lips, he had nearly passed out when Jack had called. 

Jack and Bozer came in, bearing gifts and sad faces. "There's my fighter." Jack said hugging her. "God every time this guy tries to kill you, you fight back even harder. You're like some kind of damn robot." He said handing her a Bucky Bear from Build A Bear that she's been wanting. "Press the hand." Jack said getting giggly. She gave him a funny look and pressed the hand, "What the hell do you mean there's no more tots? This is Idaho." Jacks voice filled her ears and she let out a laugh. "Oh my god, that trip was so much fun." She said wiping a few tears from her eyes. "You said that for like a year, and they asked if I wanted it to speak, so I thought you'd want it to say that." "Thank you, Jack." "You're welcome baby girl." He kissed her head and Bozer came up and hugged her.   
"Why the hell do you keep getting involved with this guy?" "I don't know. I make poor decisions." She said sarcastically making him laugh. "I'm glad you're okay. You really scared me, Jack said there was a lot of blood."

She nodded and took in a shaky breath, Shawn gripped her hand even tighter. "Something's bothering me," she said loudly. Everyone looked at her with concern. "Shawn hasn't been himself and quite frankly I don't like it. No movie references? No obscure comments? Come on babe," he laughed and laid his head down on her lap. She started to play with his hair and he was almost ready to fall asleep. Jack kissed her head again and left with Bozer. They were going to the house for a little bit. "Where's Carlton?" She said out loud. "He was downstairs with that girl that was in the house. They were drinking coffee in the cafeteria." She nodded and heard the knock on the door. 

When it opened Gus, Jules, Vick, and Shawn's dad came in. "Cody, are you okay?" Gus said striding over and checking her. Juliet patted her leg and gave her a smile, "You really are a soldier." She said with a hint of sadness in her voice. "I'll be back to work in no time, I promise." Vick scoffed, "Take all the time you need. You have really taken a bomb this week." She let out a light laugh and sat back. "I don't know if this is appropriate but great work." Shawn's dad said. "Thank you sir, means a lot." "And hey, welcome to the family." He gave her a soft smile and Shawn chuckled. His head was still in her lap and she was absentmindedly running her hands through his fluffy hair. Everyone was taking to their own conversations, she and Gus were talking about dinner that night. He offered to make it because she needed rest. Since she wasn't really in a bad condition, just banged up, and because Jack said it was a matter of national security, she was going home that night. 

Matty knocked on the door and she walked to the door. Riley was right behind her, talking on the phone. "Cody, how are you?" "I've been better. But I've also been worse." Matty nodded and gave her a smile, "You are really taking it this week, you are just like your cousin." "Oh ew. Don't talk about him." They both laughed and Riley came up. "Dude, you're tough." "Thanks, I'm hearing a lot of that today." "Yeah I'd say so, you've taken it pretty rough." "Yeah, but hey, somebody has to get home every night." Riley nodded and had to answer her phone again. "Gus, if you guys want, you can stay longer. You just might need some clothes. And you can always leave some at my house." "Thank you very much. You know, you are very nice. I can see why Shawn likes you so much. You and I are going to get along just fine. As long as you don't make fun of my singing and baldness." "Oh never!" She smiled and he nodded. She was liking how well she was getting along with Gus. "Shawn I'm gonna go. If you need me, use the Gus signal." He said waving. 

After a little while Matty and Riley headed towards the house and Vick had gone home also. Juliet had stepped out to take a phone call and hadn't come back in. Shawn's dad was in the room watching his son, "Shawn you've never acted this way. What's up with you?" "Nothing. I thought she was gonna die again," his voice was muffled by the blanket. His dad nodded and stood up, "It's getting late. I should  go, you were a brave soldier today." He shook her hand and she thanked him. He kissed his son's head and left. "You wanna get up here with me?" "Yeah." She scooted over and he climbed in. They curled into each other and he was very light with his touches. "I haven't gotten to thank Lyla yet." "You will. She's going to be here a while." Cody nodded and laid her head back. Shawn gave her a kiss on her forehead and they both fell asleep.


	10. 9

9

*SMUT WARNING*  
Lassiter was having a blast with the girl at the scene. She was absolutely stunning and she was so funny and interesting that he didn't realize they were talking as long as they were. After a while he decided to actually look at his watch and almost cursed in front of everyone. "Megan, I'll be right back. I have to go and visit my god daughter." He gave her a sweet smile and went up to her room. He knocked and when he didn't get an answer he opened up the door anyways. When he saw Shawn wrapped around her, both sleeping silently, he walked over to the bed. He read her charts and kissed her head. "I'll see you tomorrow honey." He said smiling and walking out. 

Mac was at the house and while everyone was there, Jack wasn't. He said he had to do something before he came home, Mac wasn't worried about him, he was just curious. But Jack was a little busy. His something was meeting up with Lyla Fiche, and hoping to waste some time. He met up with her at the restaurant in her hotel and they ate lunch, "Jack, you do know that I don't want to just eat lunch with you, right?" "Yeah baby, of course I know. I just thought why not? Especially since this is casual." She nodded and they finished their meal. "Whenever you're ready, I'm ready." She said, eagerness was seeping in her voice. "Then lets rock." They were both the pretty excited about what they were about to do. 

As soon as they got up the elevator and into her room, Jack pinned her against the wall. His thumbs were pressing into her hips while his mouth was attacking her neck. Her hands were pulling on his hair and throaty moans were nearly unstoppable. His hands went under her shirt and stopped kissing her neck only for a second to get the shirt off. She quickly got his off and marveled at the sheer beauty that Jack had sculpted. "Oh my god." She ran her hands over his body and he smiled cockily, his hands wrapped around her chest and undid her bra. Her boobs came out the the cups and Jack's hands were like magnets to them. He started to massage, first the whole breast and then he focused in on her nipples. After he decided his hands weren't enough he used his mouth, she threw her head back moaning. Her hands were tugging on his hair and she couldn't help but to say Jack's name over and over again. 

When he stood up a little to kiss her lips, they wasted no time using their tongues to fight. She fumbled with his belt and finally got it, she knew he was carrying a rock hard erection and when she finally got his pants completely off, she could see it. He picked her up and carried her to the bed, he gently laid her down and quickly got her dress pants off. She grabbed the waistband of his boxers and pulled them off of him, then she could see the whole hard on. Jack's hands were running along her sides and he used his teeth to get her panties off, "Oh my god Jack, you're such a tease." "Oh you know it baby." He began to kiss her thighs and held her hips still again. He slowly made his way and ate her out, she was a moaning mess and her hands were pulling and tugging all over his hair. "Jack, fuck, yes." She repeated. He smiled and chuckled to himself. 

"Jack, I'm so close." She said, and he quit. She looked at him with shock and almost anger. "What the hell?!" She said hitting his chest lightly. "Baby, you just wait." He smirked and flipped them around, this time she had control. Her hands and mouth went to his cock, she was giving him an experience that was driving his insane. He was grunting, tugging on her hair, and trying to mouth fuck her. When she felt him twitch, she knew he was close, so she finished him off. He moaned loudly when he came and she made sure he was cleaned up. It wasn't long before he was hard again and she wanted to ride Jack Dalton. As she slowly made her way up to the position, Jack could feel himself almost drooling at the way she looked. The tattoo made it even better and he nearly couldn't contain himself. She rode him until they both came, screaming loudly and roughly. 

They were covered in marks and scratches and Jack traced all the ones she had in the shower. "Jack, I need you to know something. I'm Demi sexual, which means I have to make an emotional attachment to someone before getting into a relationship with them." He took a moment to think and then he leaned forward, kissed her forehead, and said, "If I have to spend months with you before that happens, I will." 

Shawn woke up and was too afraid to move, Cody was sound asleep and her vitals were stable. It was pitch black outside and he figured it was around 11:30 because the pier fair looked like it was beginning to close down for the night. He wrapped his arms around her just a little bit tighter and watched her sleep. Around 1, a nurse came in and left a message on the board for her. Shawn really couldn't see it in the dark and figured it was for the next nurse or maybe even the doctor. He checked his phone and answered some texts, mostly from Woody, and cozied back in. He was going to watch TV but he felt too tired to actually pay attention. He readjusted the blankets and made sure they were both almost tucked in and wrapped his arms around her again. It wasn't until the daylight when they both saw what the message said.  
This is your Kobayashi Maru.


	11. 10

10

Since it was fairly late when Jack and Lyla were finished, he stayed over with her. He shot a phone call to Mac and got back "Okay. Cool." In response, he knew Mac didn't want to be alone, especially not now, but he was a big boy. "Jack I need to set a boundary now," Lyla said wringing the water from her hair. "The sex was mind blowing, but I don't want to have sex with you again, not until we have a fully established relationship. It won't be fun, it won't really have meaning. That's how I work," she said sounding almost ashamed. "Okay, and like I said before, I would wait forever." She smiled and slipped on the pajamas she packed. Jack just put his boxers back on and laid down next to her. He wrapped his arm around her waist and they both fell asleep.

But when the next morning rolled around and they were both called to the hospital, they dressed as quickly as possible and sped to the hospital. When they walked through the door, everyone was already there. Shawn was holding onto Cody while they spoke to Mac. And Gus-along with the rest of the SBPD team was looking at the board, dusting for prints. "Guys, what happened?" Lyla said loudly, catching everyone's attention. "Someone left her another Star Trek based note on the board. Shawn says it was a nurse who came in during the night." They both read it and of course everyone has seen some kind of Star Trek so they all knew what it meant. Cody had a big test coming-a no-win situation if you will.

"Can I get out of here please? I'm going to rot in this bed." She sounded almost spaced out-but Jack obliged. He got the paperwork using the national security excuse and filled it all out. They quickly got her delicate self to the car, Mac and Jack went took her to the house. She was tired and scared and just wanted something real to eat. She got inside and there was a package. "Mac, open that." She said tiredly. He opened it and inside was a toy Enterprise. And on the underside was a note.   
I still have a key.

She shook her head and wondered how. He was dead, like dead dead. "He might have some goon working for him." Jack said interrupting his thoughts. "How the hell did they get the key to my place? Jack I can't do this-" "Yes you can. Remember how I told you about my buddy, Steve, and how he was always a target? He's still fighting, and still protecting his friends and kicking ass. That's how you have to be right now. You need to make sure that all of your team and your own back is secured. Now we will get through the reign of this psycho and we will go back to watching hilarious movies on your couch. Now c'mere." He wrapped his fatherly arms around her and hugged her. "We love you too much to lose you to this guy." He kissed her head and a few silent tears rolled down her face while she tried not to break into sobs. When she finally let go she walked over to Shawn who had shown up with everybody else, "Hey boo." He said hooking an arm around her hips. "Have you figured anything out yet?" "No, but for some reason this girl looks familiar." She raked through her mind trying to figure it out.

"Which girl?" "The nurse who came in. But I can't like figure it out. Like I don't have a name, just a place she was in before." "Sketch artist?" "No, not enough detail." "Okay, do you want some coffee? Calm your nerves?" "Yeah, that's be wonderful. Thank you," she shook her head up and down. "Anytime." He went towards the coffee pot and everyone else was buzzing around. She was walking around looking over everyone's shoulders and listening when she heard Lassiter humming a song. It suddenly brought everything back, "LASSITER! That song! The girl was in the house! She was listening to that, and and the nurse, that was the girl!" "Whoa whoa whoa, are you talking about Megan?" "Yes, she was the nurse that came in and wrote that on my board." "She's a sweetheart, there's no way in hell she would do that." "Maybe she wasn't in the house against her will." "Maybe she was helping him," Mac chimed in. She nodded and everyone could tell she was getting anxious. 

Fiche walked up to Jack and looked over his shoulder towards Cody. "Why is she being targeted? What's with this guy and his obsession with her?" "It was his first love. They were dirty, funny, best friends. The perfect couple, both smart, co-captains of their academic team. Everyone thought they were going far. And then shit just went sideways with him, it was kind of ridiculous. She tried to get out and couldn't. But he was always obsessed with her. You heard what he did to her last time right?" "Yeah. Poor girl." Her hand ran down his arm and found his hand, interlocking their fingers. He smirked a little and they all continued to talk. "Look we can question her, try to get something out of her. But other than that, we have nothing on her." Juliet said trying to sound reasonable. 

"Look, I can call her. Try to get her to the station, make it sound like a lunch date. And then we interrogate her." "Okay, that works, but I'm staying here. I'm not going anywhere near her." Lassiter looked hurt but he understood. "Okay, then lets head back to the station." The rest of the SBPD walked out of the door and left them. "Do you guys want to have a bonfire?" Cody said with anger coursing through her veins. "What are we burning?" "Everything from the old me, clothes, shoes, pictures. Everything. I'm going into hiding."


	12. 11

11

They gathered all of her clothes, all of her old pictures, and essentially everything. They threw them in a pile and Mac poured gasoline on the whole thing. "Are you changing your name?" "Probably." Shawn nodded and they lit the pile into flames. The roaring noise made her gasp and all of her old self was gone. She wanted to reach out, grab the things that weren't burned, but she left them. They waited for the flames to die down and they raked it into the woods. She went back inside and sat down at the bathroom sink, "Shawn, do you have any idea of how to cut hair?" "No, but Gus does. Burton!" He went to find his friend and she dug through the cabinet looking for a dye. She found a bright red and decided on that one. Gus came in a little bit later with some nice scissors. 

"Cut it short, like very short." "I can do that," he nodded and went to work. He cut and styled so it fit her face and when he was done it actually looked good. "Jack, do you want to help me dye my hair?" "Sure, Lyla, will you run to the courthouse and get the legal papers for a name change?" "Of course. Be back in a little bit." She said grabbing her keys and walking out of the door. They went full head red so they began by just rubbing it in. "We could've faked your death," Jack said shrugging. "That's too much. This will do, I'll change my name. I'll move. I'll get a new job. I'll get all new clothes, I will be a new person." He nodded, "Phoenix can really help out with that." "Oh I know." She laughed and they were ready to let it sit. 

"Did we burn the bed spreads, sheets, blankets, all of it?" "Your house is literally empty. Except for furniture." "Good." Shawn laughed, "How is that good?" "Lets me start over. I have a degree to be a teacher, so that's what I'm going to do. And I need to think of a new name." "Caterina Julionous?" "What the fuck, Mac?" "Sorry. I was thinking about cats and an orange Julius. Oh wait, I've got one. Catherine Buxom, so you can keep your initials." Bozer laughed, "That's actually pretty good." "I like it." Gus said and Riley nodded. Shawn very obviously didn't like it, "What's your suggestion?" "Alyona Poppy." "What the hell?" "Alyona, sunny. Poppy, California is the Golden Poppy State. So your name would mean Sunny California." "I like that one a little more." Riley said. Lyla came through the door with the papers and she sat them down. "Hey Fiche, why are you limping?" Mac said looking at her walk. "My thigh is cramping." She said looking away. "Sure." Gus said. 

"Shut up. Leave me be." She said getting a bottle of water. "So you're a new person now?" "Um yeah. Unofficially." "Congratulations I think?" "Thank you," she sat down and Shawn sat right next to her. She grabbed a pen from the table and began to fill out the forms. "I don't need much more detail, like social and shit because they won't go that deep. They'll just look for a name. When she was done and everyone was anxious to see her hair she went and showered very carefully. The soap burned in the cuts but she didn't care. She couldn't tell if it was blood or dye swirling down the drain. When she got out she got dressed and dried her hair. She did look different, but she needed new glasses. She trudged back into the living room and everyone looked up at her. "It's different, that's for sure." She nodded and sat down on her chair. "Where's Matty?" Gus said looking around. Everyone shrugged, but Jack did text her. "Oh she's out getting some things." Then thunder rumbled and the rain started to pour. 

"I love the rain." Cody said getting up and going to her room. Mac was still too quiet but she had decided not to poke. She sat on her window sill and looked out at the rain. The smoke from the fire was mixed in with the mist and it almost felt like everything was washing away. She took in a deep breath and sat her head back against the pane. The lightning made her heart skip and the thunder gave her goosebumps, she felt like an instinct wanted to kick in, self preservation. Mac and Jack had gone downstairs to the television in the basement so not to disturb anyone. Gus had gone to his apartment to get some work done, and Fiche had finally made the decision to follow Jack. Bozer and Riley went to go get something to eat, and Shawn was left with a decision. He could go and comfort his girlfriend or he could go to farmers market and get one of the sopaipillas he liked so much.

He turned on his heel and went towards Cody's room. He watched her from her door and couldn't help but smile. She was so caught up in the storm that she hadn't noticed him. When she leaned into her knees and began to sob he quickly strode to her side. His arms were quickly around her waist and he was holding her close. "Hey, you better stop crying. No one likes crying." He was trying to make her smile but the way she clutched to his arms and the way her face scrunched up meant she was nowhere near smiling. She couldn't stop herself and he felt helpless, "Hey. Baby, it's okay. I'm right here." He said rubbing her back and kissing her shoulder. "I'm so sorry," she said over and over. She looked up at him and his heart broke when he saw the hurt on her face. She ran her fingers over his cheekbones and stroked his cheek, "I'm so sorry I dragged you into this." He kissed her hand and shook his head. "No, I'm glad you did. Now it's our fight."


	13. 12

12

Matty finally got back and she had bought a few outfits in a new style for Cody. Everyone else packed their bags and the few valuables they kept. They loaded them into the cars and Jack poured gas around the house. They were ready to go in the car and Mac threw a match. The house went up in flames and Shawn felt the pressure on his hand tighten. They drove to the Psych office and got all of her stuff into it. Mac and Jack were going to stay there a little longer but everyone else was leaving to go back home. Fiche had split up from them and said she had to get back to the office. She hugged Matty and thanked her, "Get better soon. We might need you as a UC." "Yes ma'am." Matty got in the car and Riley gave her a small hug, "Watch Bozer for me." "Will do." Bozer came up and engulfed her in his arms. "I'm gonna miss you even more than I did the last time." He hugged her tight and she knew she was going to miss him too. "You better get going. I think they're ready. I'll talk to you later, thanks Boze." "Anytime Code." He hopped in the car and they took off. 

She sighed and walked inside, she took off the hat and sunglasses and sat down. Mac and Jack were helping Shawn move things around. They had plenty of room for her things, they just needed organization. They heard sirens wailing and she knew that it was for her house. For a second she felt bad about the house. But then she realized it was for her life. Shawn and Mac were finishing up and Jack sat down next to her. "Kid, this life is messed up." "I know. I'm gonna be on the run for the rest of my life. If I have kids, they are going to be running too. And I thought that I should break ties with everyone." "No. Not your family. You keep them. We can handle our own." She nodded. He put his arm around her shoulders and she leaned towards him. "I'm not ready for this." "Yes you are." He kissed her head and they turned on the radio to listen. 

"Well everything is up and ready to go." "Let's sit down and relax. We need it," Shawn said. Everyone found either a chair or a piece of the couch and settled in. Mac laid with his head in her lap, he was tired and didn't care what Shawn wanted to think. She played with his hair and her breathing was sounding wheezy. Shawn got her pain meds and she was okay again. They watched a movie in complete silence and after a while Jack stood up and looked at his watch. "We should probably get going." Mac woke up a little and stood up too. His shirt was slightly untucked and his hair was poking out. "Yeah, it's a long drive." She said standing up with a little help. She hugged Jack and he told her he would call every night and was sounding like her dad again. He kissed her head and went to the car. Mac didn't want to leave though. "Mac." "What if you worked for Phoenix? What if you didn't have to hide?" "Mac, I'll be okay. You can call, text, whenever. I'll answer. You can even come and visit whenever." "I know. I'm just gonna miss you." "I know you will. Come here." She hugged him and he was trying not to cry. He didn't like the thought of leaving her like this. "Be good for Jack, help him." "I will." She kissed his forehead and he slowly left, wiping at his eyes. 

She sat back down with Shawn and curled into his side. She felt pain all through her body but she wanted to be close to him. "We're gonna be okay, right?" "Of course we are. Nothing will be able to get to you with me protecting you." She likes the side of him that was a little more serious, but she also missed the joking side of him. She knew they were in it for the long haul, but for now they just had to hold on. 

*5 YEARS LATER*

Lyla Fiche was now Lyla Dalton, with three beautiful children. Fitzwilliam Charles Dalton was the oldest, and then there was Lotus Marie and Amelia Elisabeth, twins. Mac had settled down with a nice girl from The Phoenix, they hadn't had a kid yet, they were expecting. Gus and Matty had gotten together and they weren't really expecting kids, just happiness and fun. Lassiter had to forget about Megan and he moved on to a new girl, Marlowe. Juliet and Buzz from the PD got together. Riley and Bozer got married and had a cute little boy, Randall Michael Bozer. As for Shawn and Cody? Well she was officially Alyona. And they were married. With two kids. Two boys, Steven Jack Spencer and Daniel Angus Spencer.   
They all held their own lives, Jack retired early and Lyla continued her field work, later becoming section chief. Lassiter moved up and so did Juliet. Gus became the executive at the pharmaceutical company and Matty really couldn't get any higher. Shawn still worked with the police department and Alyona, she was a school teacher.

She taught senior mathematics. They all went on day by day and got together for every holiday. The fear was always in the backs of their minds of Alyona not coming to the next family gathering, but she always showed up, pulling everyone along. It wasn't until about 10 years after everything had died down before she felt safe again. But Shawn had always promised her that she would be safe and that he would always take care of her. As did everyone else, they were family. But the best part of the story? They all stayed close-in Sunny California.


End file.
